August 01, 2014 | Rosanna Di Grazia
Employment law is a complex area of law that impacts directly on the 2.9 million workers currently in Victoria.
In 2012, the Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales published the Legal Australia-Wide Survey (‘LAW Survey’), a comprehensive study of unmet legal need in Australia.
This study identified that 5.9 per cent of respondents in Victoria had employment law problems in a one year period. This figure is confirmed by a smaller study published in the same year by the Australia Institute, which found that seven per cent of respondents had employment law problems Australia-wide.
Unsatisfactorily resolved employment law problems have significant negative consequences for both individuals and the community. If people do not seek or cannot access legal assistance, their employment issue may lead to other economic, physical, emotional and social problems. Workplace problems can have direct effects on a person’s capacity to earn an income, support themselves and their family and meet basic needs such as housing and food. It can also have an impact on an individual’s emotional and physical health.
